I’ll remember exactly where I was
At 8pm last Thursday night I was at the Studley Park Boathouse, celebrating the final Story Conference with colleagues and friends. It was announced that Steve Jobs had passed away … and thud! I felt an inner shift and let out an audible, outward breath.
I am not surprised that the passing Steve Jobs stirred my emotions in such a way. His long battle with Pancreatic Cancer has mirrored that of my own father’s cancer of the liver. At the time Steve presented at the launch of the original iPad, looking thin and weak, my dad’s illness had also progressed. Earlier, in 2004, at the time of Steve’s brilliant speech to graduates of Stanford University he was looking healthy and announced that he was in remission … so too was my father.
I again watched Steve’s Stanford address with my wife the other night – the 3 stories he tells will always be relevant.
In reading various tributes, I also stumbled upon some older talks that Steve had given. This one shows the wisdom of Steve as a strategist, a minimalist and a communicator … when I find the link I’ll insert it 🙂
I am not a believer in the ‘lone genius’ – that one, fabled person who single handedly saves the world. There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was a brilliant man whose actions speak louder than words. His capacity to fearlessly follow his heart and trust in Karma (or whatever) is the stuff of legends. I also look forward to reading his Biography and in it, I have a hunch we will learn something about the people around him … those who influenced his ideas. The networks of people that shaped Steve Jobs and the ideas that he ‘ripped & remixed’ to shape Pixar and Apple.
Stay hungry, stay foolish.